


A New Evil

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats First Series [2]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-08
Updated: 2006-04-08
Packaged: 2019-07-03 12:52:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 14,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15819255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: Thunderians are beginning to come to New Thundera and Third Earth but they aren't the only ones.





	1. Chapter 1

It had been six months since the satellites had started communicating the wonderful news. There were more Thunderians out there and they were coming to New Thundera and Third Earth. Lion-O sat at the main sensors while Cheetara manned the satellite sensors.

The others were scouting new places that would prove to be solid ground to build homes. New Thundera wasn't without its dangers and the ThunderCats wanted everything mapped out. Lion-O picked up a message coming in from Third Earth. Putting it up on the video screen, the leader of the ThunderCats took the call.

"Lion-O, this is Ben-Gali. We have another ship coming in with fifteen Thunderians on it."

"Hey Ben-Gali, that's great. So how is married life treating you?" The Lord of the ThunderCats asked.

"Well it's not all its cracked up to be." The white tiger joked.

"I heard that." Pumyra interjected.

"Man you've only been married three months. I can't imagine what you two will be doing in twenty years." Lion-O smiled.

"If I live that long put me out of my misery." Ben-Gali continued to joke.

"I'm not deaf, you idiot!" Pumyra shouted in the background.

"How's life with you and Cheetara?" Ben-Gali asked avoiding the object that Pumyra was throwing at him.

"Pretty good. Watch out for that…" Lion-O didn't get to finish when a notebook clocked Ben-Gali in the back of the head.

"That's it woman!" The white tiger whirled around and grabbed his wife. She said something but Lion-O couldn't hear it. He watched the two pretend to fight and then they started to kiss.

"Hey shut the screen off. I don't need to see that!" Lion-O told them. Suddenly the call was cut off.

"What's going on over there?" Cheetara asked.

"Oh it was just Ben-Gali and Pumyra fighting like cats and dogs and then of course making up." The lion told her. Cheetara laughed.

"Its so good to see them like that." She smiled.

"How do you mean?" Lion-O asked.

"They are very much in love. They joke around and have a wonderful time no matter what they are doing." Cheetara explained.

"So what do we have?" He asked getting out of his seat.

"Well, I think that it's a little harder to describe." The cheetah smiled. She too, arose from her seat.

"We are serious when we have to be but there isn't any doubt that we don't display our emotions like they do. I think its because we want to be a little more private." Cheetara continued.

"Well I've always been known to wear my emotions right out on my sleeves." The Lord of the ThunderCats said pulling her into his muscular arms. Cheetara's response was to put her hands around his neck. They were just about to kiss when the female ThunderCat felt a sharp pain in her head. She pushed on his chest and Lion-O let her go. Cheetara backed up, her eyes wide with fear. The female ThunderCat let out a high pitched roar and stormed from the control room.

Lion-O went after her. He didn't even notice that the Sword of Omens was blaring a warning. Cheetara started to run at top speed through the corridors of New Thundera's Cat's Lair until she reached the main door. There she froze.

Finally, the Lord of the ThunderCats caught up to her. Cheetara turned to him. Her eyes had changed from only a few moments ago. Now she looked incredibly angry and she charged at him. Lion-O didn't want to hurt her but he had to stop her from hurting herself. Quickly, he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. Unfortunately, Cheetara's other hand was free and she hit him. She hit him hard.

The lion stood his ground and grabbed her other hand. But Cheetara continued to fight him. She kicked at him and tried to free herself. Suddenly, just as her fit had begun, it was over. The female ThunderCat fell unconscious.

Lion-O gently scooped her up and carried her down to the sick bay. Placing her on one of the beds he quickly raced outside. Pulling the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield, the Lord of the ThunderCats raised it above his head and shouted,

"Thunde, thunder, thunder, THUNDERCATS HO!" The Cat's Signal shot into the air from the Eye of Thundera summoning the others back to Cat's Lair.


	2. Chapter 2

Tygra, Panthro, and the ThunderKittens arrived within minutes of the signal flashing across the sky. Lion-O explained everything as they ran back to the sick bay. No one had any ideas about what could have possibly happened.

They found Cheetara still unconscious and Tygra instructed that she should be strapped down to the bed in case she tried to hurt herself or someone else. Then he ordered everyone to stay in he sickbay until his analysis of Cheetara was finished.

Hooking her up to the monitors he found nothing abnormal with her blood pressure, heart rate, or her breathing. He pulled a syringe from a storage bin and removed some blood from her arm. There were some tests the tiger would have to run.

"So far nothing seems to be wrong with her but I won't know until I run some blood tests. In the meantime we are all quarantined until I can determine the cause of Cheetara's condition." Tygra said.

"Quarantined? You think its that serious?" Panthro asked.

"Well since we've all now been exposed to Cheetara, I have no way of knowing if what she has is contagious. I don't think we should be spreading it to the other Thunderians." Tygra explained. "Had Lion-O been a little more cautious we wouldn't be in this situation."

"Excuse me?" Lion-O asked.

"You have possibly infected us all. You were exposed to Cheetara and then you exposed us to you. Instead of thinking with your brain you thought with your heart and now we all have to suffer." Tygra said. He wasn't acting like himself. Lion-O was about to do something when Panthro stopped him.

"Enough! Tygra there is obviously something wrong with you and I don't want Lion-O to deck you. Get the blood tests going." The panther told them. Tygra glared at them and went to work. Panthro turned to Lion-O. He could see a large bruise forming on his cheek.

"Did she do that to you?" He pointed at the lion's face. Lion-O gave him a confused look and moved over the mirror on the wall. The Lord of the ThunderCats saw the large purple area forming on his cheek.

"I guess so." He told Panthro. "But she wasn't behaving like herself."

"I know. Don't worry, we'll find out what is going on." The panther assured him.

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The female's body had been insufficient but now this male specimen seemed to be perfect. He was stronger and slightly more intelligent. This would do for now.

ThunderCats these beings called themselves. They seemed no different than the other cat-like people he had infested on previous occasions. However, the one with the sword seemed to be the leader. It would only be a matter of time before he was inside the one they called Lion-O.

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Sometime later, Tygra walked back into the room from the lab that was attached to the sickbay. The blood tests were complete and there was nothing to report but he already knew that.

"There is nothing in her blood. We can leave the room. I will keep close tabs on Cheetara." The fake Tygra promised. The ThunderKittens ran out of the room and went off to do something to get their minds off Cheetara. Panthro went to the control room to alert Third Earth to the situation. This left Lion-O, Cheetara, and Tygra alone in the sickbay.

'Tygra' came over to Lion-O. He had to start acting like the tiger so he could get the lion to relax. It would be very hard to transfer over if the mind wasn't relaxed in its surroundings.

"Lion-O, I'd like to apologize for my behavior earlier. It was wrong but you could have put all of us in danger." The tiger said. Lion-O seemed to be buying it.

"I suppose you were right though. What if I had gotten us all infected?" He wondered.

"Its still no excuse for my behavior." The fake Tygra smiled. He stuck his hand out for Lion-O to shake. The Lord of the ThunderCats shook 'Tygra's' hand. Slowly, the being inside of the tiger began to seep into Lion-O. The lion felt strange and tried to pull away but he couldn't. Tygra's grip was too strong. Soon it was too late. Lion-O had now become the evil being's next host.


	3. Chapter 3

Cheetara opened her eyes slowly. Her head was pounding and the light hurt her eyes. The cheetah tried to sit up but found that that was quite impossible. She sighed and then heard someone walking over to her.

"Welcome back." Tygra smiled as he removed the restraints keeping her in the bed.

"Oh, my head." Cheetara muttered. Tygra helped her sit up and then he dimmed the lights.

"Is that a little better?" He asked.

"Yes. But…" The cheetah stopped talking. Something inside her began to shout. She grabbed her head and tried to quiet the noises and angry feelings. Tygra was dumbstruck but soon regained his composure. The tiger injected something into her arm and a few moments later the pain was gone.

"What was that?" He asked.

"I don't know. There are people screaming and horrible hateful thoughts buzzing around in my head. Whatever you gave me quieted them." Cheetara told him as she began to open her eyes fully. It longer hurt to see but it was hurtful to see that someone wasn't there.

"Where is Lion-O?" She asked.

"He's probably greeting the new arrivals. You have been out for two days." The tiger smiled but it was obvious to the female ThunderCat that he wasn't telling her the whole story.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up?" Tygra said changing the subject. Cautiously, Cheetara agreed and the tiger handed her a towel. She went into the bathroom and carefully pulled off her uniform. That's when she became aware of the bruises on her knuckles.

The cheetah looked at her hand in astonishment. She couldn't remember punching anyone or anything.

"You can't take a shower if you don't turn on the hot water." Tygra suggested helpfully from the other side of the door. Without thinking, Cheetara turned on the water and stepped into the shower. She let the warm water run over her while she continued to stare at her hand.

Soon the water was cold and she shivered. Shutting off the water she grabbed the towel and slowly began to dry herself off. It was then that she noticed the top of her foot was turning a funny color.

 _What did I punch and kick at_ , she asked herself. Completely confused, the cheetah continued to dry off. She wrapping her hair up into the towel, she saw that a clean uniform had been placed just inside the door on a chair.

Getting dressed quickly, Cheetara went to her room. There she pulled out fresh under things and got redressed. Tygra hadn't gotten them, which she was grateful for. Sitting down on her bed, she removed the towel from her hair and brushed it out.

Then the cheetah got up and left the room. It bothered her that Lion-O hadn't come to see her and that it had been obvious that Tygra wasn't telling the truth. Walking into the control room of Cat's Lair, she found Panthro at the sensors.

"Well hello there. How are you feeling?" The panther asked.

"Better; where is Lion-O?" She asked.

"Right here." A voice said from behind her. Cheetara spun around. She caught sight of the healing bruise on his face and the strange look in his eyes. Before the cheetah could say anything the 'Lord of the ThunderCats' wrapped his massive arms around her.

She didn't say or do anything as violent images filled her mind. The punching, kicking, and fighting between them played over in her head. Cheetara wanted to break away but before she could 'Lion-O' let go of her.

It was as if someone had flicked a switch and the lion backed away from the cheetah. The look in his eyes had changed. His whole demeanor changed. Panthro was about to ask what was wrong when the Lord of the ThunderCats turned and walked away.

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Little did his friends know what was happening. An internal war was waging at this very moment. Lion-O tried to fight the evil presence that had taken over his mind. The evil being was fighting hard as well. It hadn't expected Lion-O's resistance. No one had ever resisted before.


	4. Chapter 4

Cheetara returned to her room shortly after the strange encounter with Lion-O. Neither Panthro nor Tygra had any ideas what was going on. Luckily the ThunderKittens were off playing with their new friends so they didn't see anything. There was a knock on her door and the cheetah hesitated to bid the person entry. However, the feeling of being alone overwhelmed her and she told them to enter.

"We need to talk." Tygra said as he pulled the chair over from her dressing table.

"I think you should have said something earlier when I asked where Lion-O was." The tiger could hear the anger in her voice.

"I'm sorry but…"

"But nothing. Just tell me what has been going on." Cheetara wasn't in the mood for apologies.

"Ok, the fact of the matter is we don't know what has been going on with Lion-O. What you say today has been what he's doing the entire time you were out. At times, he acts like himself and at other times, he's distant and irritable." Tygra explained. The cheetah's expression softened. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Tygra moved over to the bed and wrapped his arm around her.

"Hey we'll figure this out. Don't worry." He said.

"I have this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. My sixth sense seems to be working overtime. I touched Lion-O and everything I did came back. There was this feeling like something was controlling my body. Do you think I somehow passed it to Lion-O?" Cheetara wondered.

"No, it wasn't you. Panthro told me that I had been acting funny and now Lion-O is the one acting funny. There is a good chance that I picked it up from you and then I gave it to Lion-O." Tygra told her.

"What do you think it wants with us or more specifically Lion-O?" She asked.

"I don't know but we must be prepared for anything. Do you think you could use your sixth sense to figure out what it is and how we fight it?" The tiger wondered.

"You can't ask me to do that. You know how dangerous it is." Cheetara's eyes widened.

"I know but it could be the only way." Tygra said.

"But what about the Book of Omens?" The cheetah asked.

"All right. We'll try that first. Try to get some rest." Tygra said. He got up and left the room. Cheetara was left to her thoughts until she heard shouting in the hallway.

She rushed out to see Panthro and Lion-O arguing. The two seemed to be on the brink of using their fists when she stepped in.

"That's enough! I will not have the two of beating each other up. What is going on here?" The cheetah demanded. Again she saw that strange look in Lion-O's eyes. There was something he so desperately wanted to tell her but then the look was gone. He swung his mighty fist at Panthro however Cheetara grabbed his fist before it hit its intended target.

"What did I just say!" She growled a warning to him to back down. It was quite obvious that she wasn't afraid of him. The Lord of the ThunderCats just sneered at her and Panthro and turned to walk away.

"Don't you turn you back on me!" Cheetara roared. Panthro trued to stop her but she wouldn't let him. Lion-O turned and looked at her.

"You are nothing but a two-timing whore and I don't need to listen to you." His words cut deep. That wasn't her Lion-O talking. Without thinking she grabbed her bo-staff and extended it.

"What did you say?" She asked him.

"You heard me! You're nothing but a two-timing whore!" Lion-O roared back at her. She charged at him with her staff and knocked him down. Sitting on his chest, she pulled out the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield at his hip. The Eye of Thundera glowed brightly and roared warning Lion-O of danger. Panthro stood stock still completely confused as to how the Sword was allowing for this when he watched Cheetara plunge the blade downward toward Lion-O's head.

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Tygra floated through space until he landed in front of the Guardian of the Book of Omens. The dragonheads on the poles positioned themselves to burn him to a cinder at a moment's notice.

"Identify yourself!" The Guardian boomed.

"I am Tygra of the ThunderCats." The tiger replied.

"Why have you come?" The Guardian boomed again.

"I have come seeking answers." Tygra told him.

"If answers you seek, you must ask the right questions." The Guardian answered in the form of a riddle.

"What evil possesses Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats?" Tygra asked.

"Wrong!" The Guardian boomed. One of the dragonheads spewed fire just missing the tiger.

"What evil lurks on New Thundera?" Tygra asked.

"Wrong!" The Guardian boomed again. Once again fire spewed from the dragonheads. Tygra barely dodged the fireball and asked another question.

"What evil has come to New Thundera?" There was nothing but silence for a few moments.

"Correct! The answers you seek can only be found by looking inside yourselves. When you have done that, you may return and ask another question." The Guardian of the Book of Omens told Tygra. With that the conversation was over and the tiger was expelled from the Book.


	5. Chapter 5

The tip of the Sword of Omens came down and planted into the floor of Cat's Lair. Cheetara could see the look on Lion-O's face. Whatever was inside him hadn't even flinched. It had known she wasn't going to do anything.

"You just remember to watch your back." She whispered to Lion-O. With that the cheetah got up off of him and walked away. Her bo-staff was retracted and attached to her armband. Panthro finally moved toward Lion-O but the Lord of the ThunderCats got up and walked away before the panther could do or say anything.

Cheetara made it back to her room and locked the door behind her. Flinging herself down in the bed she buried her face into her pillow. The cheetah kept going over what had just happened. The Sword of Omens had growled and forced her to put the blade into the floor. How could the Sword not feel the evil that had taken over Lion-O?

Panthro sat in the control room trying to wrap his mind around what he witnessed when Tygra came running into the room.

"We have something to discuss." He said.

"What happened now?" The panther asked.

"What do you mean?" Tygra wondered.

"I'll tell you after you tell me." Panthro said. Tygra nodded and explained what had happened inside the Book of Omens. His friend listened and tried to piece together everything he said and what had happened only moments before.

"Looking inside yourselves? Do you suppose the Book meant the ThunderCats? Or could it mean us in general as Thunderians?" Panthro mused.

"I don't know. Personally I don't see how looking inside ourselves would do any good. I mean whatever has control over Lion-O is something evil. I don't think any of us is capable of evil." Tygra said.

"I'm not so sure about that." The panther told him as he went on to describe what he saw earlier. Tygra couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"So what do we do?" He asked.

"The first thing we'd better do is to get Lion-O and keep him locked up. The last thing I want is for that thing to hurt someone. The next thing we'd better do is figure out that riddle." Panthro said.

"There has to be something else we can do." Tygra said.

"I don't see any other way. It'll be hard but we have to do something before someone gets hurt." The panther was firm. Tygra sighed and nodded. The two walked out of the control room in search of Lion-O.

Cheetara got up and went from her room. She needed to find Tygra and talk to him. Hopefully, he'd had some good luck with the Book of Omens. Instead she found, WilyKit and WilyKat.

"Have you guys seen Tygra?" She asked.

"He told us to wait in the control room until he and Panthro got back." WilyKit explained.

"Thanks. I'll be back in a few minutes ok." Cheetara smiled. The cheetah didn't want to let on that something bad was happening.

She walked down the hall and saw Panthro and Tygra. Quickly, she came up to them and was about to ask what they were doing when the panther gave her a look.

"What's wrong?" Cheetara asked.

"Lion-O is gone. We've searched Cat's Lair top to bottom. We can't find him." Panthro explained.

"What do we do?" She asked.

"We have to go out and look for him. He can't get near the new settlements. We have to keep whatever is inside of him within Cat's Lair." Tygra said.

"Lets go." Panthro said. Quickly the three ThunderCats raced out of Cat's Lair. Each one hoping they weren't too late.

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Lion-O stumbled along the path towards the forest. After what had happened he knew he couldn't stay at the Lair. The thing inside his head was trying to stop him but he couldn't let it. There was only one way to save the ThunderCats and that was if he was gone.

"You can't do this! I won't allow it!" The voice inside his head screamed.

"I have to destroy you and if that means destroying myself then so be it!" Lion-O roared. With that the Lord of the ThunderCats pulled the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield on his hip.

"Ho!" He shouted and it extended. The thing inside him continued to fight. This was not the way things were to be. Lion-O tried to raise the Sword above his head but the evil being wasn't letting him.

"Sword of Omens, I Lion-O command you to…"

"NO!" The evil gained momentary control. The Sword seemed confused; unsure of whom it should listen to.

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An image flashed across Cheetara's eyes and she grabbed the side of her head. She could see Lion-O struggling with himself in the forest. Quickly at top speed, the cheetah raced toward the forest. She had to get there before it was too late.


	6. Chapter 6

Lion-O again managed to gain control of his arms and again called for the Sword of Omens to carry out the task he could not. The Sword was about to do its master's bidding when a voice called out for him to stop. This slight distraction allowed the evil being to regain control of the Lord of the ThunderCats.

"Lion-O don't! We can get through this! Killing yourself won't help!" Cheetara tried to knock some sense into him.

"You're right. It won't help my cause. That's why I've decided to do something else." The Lord of the ThunderCats raised the Sword of Omens and called, "Ho!" An energy blast shot out of the Sword and hit Cheetara's arm. She growled out in pain and grabbed her bo-staff with her other arm.

"Ho!" Again another energy blast shot out of the Sword but the cheetah was able to avoid it. She was about to strike when Lion-O began to shout,

"Thunder, thunder, thunder, ThunderCats HO!" The Cat Signal shot into the sky. Cheetara was confused by this move but she came at him anyway. It was obvious that the evil didn't have complete control over him yet and she had to help him.

"Lion-O I don't want to hurt you. I know you're in there. Keep fighting…"

"Shut up! The Lion-O you know is long gone. I will destroy you and your friends. No one is safe from my curse." The evil spoke. Cheetara was about to knock Lion-O down when Panthro and Tygra arrived. It was a trap. He would tae care of the three of them and then the Thunderkittens would be easy targets.

"So good of you to join me. Just in time for your death!" The evil Lion-O shouted. Panthro and Tygra charged at him. The Lord of the ThunderCats had to be subdued before he ruined his body or killed anyone.

Lion-O was able to avoid the rush but Tygra used his bolo-whip and wrapped it around the lion. It electrified the Lord of the ThunderCats and he sank to the ground. Panthro made sure the whip was tightly around Lion-O and then he removed the Sword of Omens from his hand and the Claw Shield from his hip.

"Come on. We've got to get him back to the Lair and isolate him." Panthro said.

"All right. Lets go." Tygra agreed. The panther lifted Lion-O up onto his shoulder and began the walk back to Cat's Lair. Tygra began to follow when he noticed Cheetara wasn't with them. He looked around and found her sitting on the ground holding her left arm.

"Cheetara, are you ok?" He asked.

"I'll be fine. It's just a scratch." She smiled. Slowly she got up from the ground and walked over to him.

"Come on. I'd better take a look at that when we get home." Tygra told her.

"Did you have any luck with the Book of Omens?" She asked.

"Somewhat. I'll explain when we get back." The tiger said. They caught up to Panthro and the three made their way back to Cat's Lair.

"We saw the…" WilyKit stopped talking as she saw Panthro holding an unconscious Lion-O over his shoulder.

"What happened?" WilyKat asked. Panthro didn't answer as he continued to walk down the hall. The panther disappeared down the ramp leading towards the lower levels. Tygra told Cheetara to get to the sickbay while he told the Thunderkittens what to do.

The cheetah sat down on one of the beds and looked at her arm. Her uniform and fur were singed and matted to the burn from the energy blast. It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would but then again Tygra still had to fix it.

"All right. Let me take a look." The tiger said pulling a chair over and sitting down.

"How bad is it?" Cheetara asked.

"Well it's not pretty. Let me get some cold compresses and we'll try to peel your uniform off of it." Tygra said. He worked carefully but the cheetah couldn't help from wincing.

"Sorry about that." The tiger apologized. Once the cloth was removed from the wound, retrieved some burn ointment and some gauze. After wrapping it tightly, Tygra said,

"Now be careful. Tomorrow before you shower, I'd like to see how it's doing."

"Ok. So what happened with the Thunderkittens?" She asked.

"Panthro is dealing with them and Third Earth. We don't want any new people arriving on New Thundera until we can resolve this matter." Tygra explained.

"What happened with the Book?" Cheetara asked.

"The Guardian gave me a riddle. He said that we should look inside ourselves. I still haven't figured it out." The tiger sighed. Cheetara thought about that for a moment.

"When did all this start to happen?" She inquired.

"Well we were out scouting for more good spots to build on when the Cat Signal went up and we responded to it." Tygra said.

"Right and I had gone out to the first village we had built to see how things were going before returning to sit with Lion-O in the control room. So that must mean that whatever I picked up had to come from…"

"The new arrivals." Tygra finished for her. "We'd better get out there and find out what they know." Quickly the two got up and went from the sickbay down to the control room.

There they found that Panthro had just finished talking with Ben-Gali. They quickly explained what they were going to do and the panther agreed to keep an eye on Lion-O. The Thunderkittens were left in the control room while they other split up. All the answers were waiting for them in the village.


	7. Chapter 7

Cheetara and Tygra arrived in the new settlement and climbed off the HoverCat. The first person they found was Lyger. He was the oldest of the new Thunderians and they hoped he would know what was going on.

"Ah, Cheetara and Tygra. To what do I owe this great honor?" The half-lynx, half-tiger asked.

"We need to talk to you about something that you may have encountered before you arrived on New Thundera." Tygra said and then explained what was happening. Lyger's eyes went wide.

"I thought we had gotten rid of…" he stopped. "Come with me." The older Thunderian motioned for the two ThunderCats to follow him. Cheetara and Tygra looked at each and then followed him.

The three entered Lyger's home and he shut the door. Then he proceeded to shut the windows and lock everything down. Next he motioned for them to sit down at the kitchen table.

"Before we came to New Thundera, we lived in a place we called the Enchanted Planet. It was a strange world filled with strange things. There were plants that moved, rocks who ate people, and giants. Once we had built homes and fences surrounding us we thought we were safe.

"For a time the fences kept the strange creatures away. Then our people began to disappear in the middle of the night. Patrols were set up, the fences were made taller and stronger, and one of our engineers took pieces from our spaceship to create lights to try to keep the creatures at bay.

"This worked for a time until one day when one of the missing people by the name of Cheetlar came back. He had been a gentle person and a good man but when he returned things had changed. Cheetlar became violent and consumed with destroying things. We locked him in a hut while we tried to decide what to do with him.

"However, he somehow managed to trick the guards into opening the door. He overpowered one and suddenly the guard became increasingly violent. Unfortunately, the guard was killed before we could control him. When we asked Cheetlar about what happened he seemed confused and didn't understand what we were talking about.

"In the end, we found that the evil spirit was transferred by touch. Not a quick touch but by holding onto someone until it can transfer itself completely into the person's mind. Its goal is to enslave others and take over. We thought we had left it behind but quite obviously we didn't." Lyger finished.

"So how do we destroy it?" Cheetara asked beginning to get upset.

"I don't know. We thought we had buried it with the guard's body but somehow it must have come here anyway." Lyger said.

"Perhaps that's where the Book of Omens comes back into play. In the meantime we must make sure no one touches Lion-O." Tygra looked grim. Quickly, the two ThunderCats thanked Lyger and ran back to the HoverCat. They contacted Cat's Lair hoping that Panthro hadn't touched Lion-O.

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Panthro sat staring at Lion-O's unconscious body. He wondered what Cheetara and Tygra were finding out. The panther hoped that the Lord of the ThunderCats could be cured.

WilyKit came bursting into the room. She quickly explained that the others were on their way back and that they said he shouldn't touch Lion-O under any circumstances. Panthro gave her a confused look but said he'd what for them to return. The Thunderkitten nodded and headed back up to the control room.

Suddenly from inside the cell, Lion-O's body began to shake violently. Quickly Panthro went over to the door.

"Lion-O! Are you all right?" No response came and the panther wasn't sure if he should go in there and help him or not. Finally he decided that evil or no evil if Lion-O was dead that wasn't going to help anyone. Quickly, he entered the cell and tried to calm the lion down.

It was then that he felt a strange thing happening. Something began to take over his body. Lion-O had stopped shaking but that was no concern of his. The lion and the rest of the ThunderCats would soon be dead.


	8. Chapter 8

Panthro locked the Lord of the ThunderCats in the cell and headed for the door. The panther climbed the ramp leading to the higher levels and walked down the hall. There was something he had to get before dealing with Lion-O.

Panthro walked into the Sword chamber and as he got close to the Sword of Omens, the Eye of Thundera growled. It could sense the evil inside of the panther.

"It would be fitting to end the Lord of the ThunderCats' life with his own sword but I know I can't use you." Panthro told the Sword as he walked down a connecting hallway to a weapons storage room. A few moments later, he reentered the Sword chamber carrying a different weapon.

"I think this blaster will do the job." Panthro told the Sword of Omens. He left the room and headed back towards Lion-O's prison.

The Lord of the ThunderCats awoke and looked up at the ceiling. He felt strange and mentally exhausted. It was then that he realized there was no longer a fight inside his head. This excited him and he stood up.

Looking around, Lion-O realized he was inside a cell. He tried the door but found it locked in place. The lion frowned and wondered what happened to the evil voice inside his head. If the thing no longer resided in him then who did he give it to?

Cheetara and Tygra burst into the room. They wore concerned looks on their faces and seemed to get confused when the thing they were looking for wasn't there.

"Cheetara! Tygra! Let me out of here!" Lion-O shouted and this focused the other ThunderCats attention on him.

"We can't. You tried to kill yourself and you're still evil." Tygra leered at him. It was then that Lion-O realized convincing them he wasn't still possessed would be extremely difficult.

"No, you have to believe me. I'm not evil anymore." The lion protested.

"Then where is Panthro?" Cheetara asked. Something nagged at her to believe him but she wasn't sure if she could trust herself.

"I'm right here." Came an answer from the doorway. Cheetara whirled around and saw the panther held a blaster in his hands.

"Why did you leave Lion-O and what are you doing with that blaster?" Tygra asked.

"Simple. This." Panthro leveled the blaster and shot Tygra. Cheetara cried out and ran full speed toward the crazed panther. However, he didn't flinch and fired off a few shots. It missed Cheetara barely and she grappled with the panther trying to get the blaster away from him.

Neither one noticed that one of the shots had strayed and hit the lock on Lion-O's cage door. The door sprung open and the Lord of the ThunderCats wasted no time.

"Sword of Omens, come to my hand!" Lion-O commanded. The Sword awoke and flew from its chamber. In a matter of seconds, it landed in its master's hand.

"Ho!" Lion-O shouted. An energy blast shot from the Sword of Omens and hit the wall. This was enough to get Panthro's attention. He threw Cheetara aside like she was a rag doll and the cheetah hit her head against the wall. The last thing she saw was Lion-O and Panthro about to enter pitched combat.

The Thunderkittens had heard the shouting, blasting, and the Sword leaving its chamber. WilyKat had wanted to go down and investigate but WilyKit had overruled him and she immediately contacted Third Earth.

"New Thundera calling Third Earth! Come in Third Earth! This is an emergency!" WilyKit shouted into the receiver.

"WilyKit don't shout! What's wrong?" Lynx-O asked responding from the Tower of Omens. Quickly, the female Thunderkitten explained what she and her brother had heard and hoped that the others could get to New Thundera as fast as possible. The unfortunate thing was the earliest, they could make it would be in twelve hours. Could the rest of the ThunderCats last that long?


	9. Chapter 9

Lion-O deflected a shot from the blaster with the Sword. The Lord of the ThunderCats didn't want to fight with Panthro. Not only was he his friend but also Jaga had expressly forbid fighting amongst each other.

"Panthro listen to me! We cannot fight like this! Jaga forbade it!" Lion-O was trying to reach the panther's real conscious self.

"I don't listen to Jaga or you! I will destroy you and rule this planet!" Panthro growled in return. He fired another shot and again Lion-O deflected it. The Lord of the ThunderCats knew that Tygra had been shot and he couldn't wage a lengthy battle if he was to save his friend.

"Jaga forgive me." Lion-O muttered. He raised the Sword of Omens and shouted,

"Ho!" An energy blast shot out from the Sword. Panthro ducked it and fired with his blaster. The shot hit Lion-O's leg. He roared in pain but shouted again,

"Ho!" The Sword of Omens continued to shoot energy blasts. Back and forth the two ThunderCats went. Panthro ducked behind a desk and continued to fire shots with his blaster. Lion-O had to find some cover and fast. However, the prison room had been left barren on purpose.

Cheetara rolled over. An immense pain welled in her head. She could hear the blasting and shouting. Carefully she looked around to see what was happening. Panthro had Lion-O pinned behind a bed from one of the cells. It was obvious that the bed wouldn't hold for much longer. She had to take action.

Then she realized that Tygra was still lying on the floor. Cheetara couldn't tell if he was still breathing and it scared her. Indecision floated in her mind. Should she try to get Tygra out of there and try to help him? But if she left Lion-O alone then there might not be a point to trying to save Tygra. It was then that she felt something touch the back of her head.

"Get up." Panthro ordered. Cheetara cursed herself as she eased up off the floor. Her indecisiveness had cost her dearly. Now it was too late to help Lion-O or Tygra.

The panther grabbed her left arm and pulled her close as she winced in pain. Her earlier injury had yet to heal.

"Come on." He said as he dragged her toward the bed. Something seemed strange about the whole situation. Cheetara again had this nagging in her head. She looked at Panthro and noticed his right shoulder had been seared by Lion-O.

"Lion-O! Come out of there!" Panthro shouted as he held the blaster to the cheetah's head.

"I know I didn't kill you. If you're trying to trick me, it won't work. I've been around for thousands of years. You cannot outsmart me." The panther continued to speak. There was silence.

"Fine. I know you don't care anything about Cheetara so me killing her will have no effect on you." The barrel of the blaster was placed firmly against the cheetah's head. A ThunderCat is taught to be fearless but right now fear seeped into her mind. There would be no coming back if Lion-O was really dead.

It was then that Lion-O's red hair appeared up over the top of his cover. He raised his hands into the air.

"All right. Leave her alone. This is between you and me." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"No, this is all about me and the control I want. I will rule this planet with or without you. Without you would be easier." Panthro told him.

"Say goodbye." He said as he moved the blaster from Cheetara to Lion-O.


	10. Chapter 10

Cheetara waited for the end. She stood there expecting to see Lion-O fall and then Panthro would turn to her. To avoid watching the cat she loved die, she closed her eyes. There was a shout and a cry of pain. Suddenly, Cheetara felt big muscular arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"It's ok. You can open your eyes." At first, the cheetah couldn't believe that the voice she heard was Lion-O. Slowly, she opened them. Looking around she realized that Panthro lay on the ground moaning she was about to make a move but Lion-O made the first.

He reached Tygra and checked his friend for a pulse. The tiger was still breathing but he had a massive stomach injury. Lion-O was unsure if he should move him and Cheetara went over to Panthro to see how badly he was hurt.

Apparently, the Sword of Omens protected its master well. Lion-O had moved fast enough and deflected the shot right back at the panther, hitting him in the chest. The wound wasn't that severe and Cheetara knew that Panthro would pull through. She knew that somehow they had to move him to the sickbay without transferring the evil inside them to one another.

"We need to secure Panthro so we can move Tygra. He needs help as fast as we can give it." Lion-O interrupted her thoughts. Cheetara looked around the room and found what she was looking for, a pair of handcuffs.

"How are we going to get them on without touching him?" She asked the Lord of the ThunderCats, handing him the shackles. Lion-O slipped his hand into the Claw Shield and walked over to the still moaning panther.

Taking the left cuff in hand with the Claw Shield, Lion-O braced his friend's wrist. He then did the same for the right cuff. When he turned around, the Lord of the ThunderCats found that Cheetara was gone. But before he got a chance to get upset, she was back.

"I think that this might help." The cheetah held a stretcher.

"Good thinking. Come on help me move him." Lion-O half smiled and gently took hold of Tygra's shoulders. Cheetara grabbed his feet and they transferred their unconscious friend to the stretcher.

The two carried him to the sickbay in silence. Both were worried that they didn't have enough medical expertise to help the tiger. At that moment, WilyKit and WilyKat came running down the hall.

"Pumyra and Ben-Gali are on their way!" They shouted. Lion-O and Cheetara continued to walk Tygra down the hall. The Lord of the ThunderCats motioned for the ThunderKittens to follow them.

As soon as they had Tygra hooked up to the machines in the sickbay, they knew that they were in trouble. The wound had effectively sealed itself up, as most blaster wounds do, but there was possible organ damage and it looked as if their friend would need some blood. Neither Lion-O nor Cheetara knew how to go in surgically and unfortunately Pumyra was still hours away. Tygra didn't have that long.

"WilyKit, WilyKat, go to the new arrival settlement. Round up as many tigers you can and bring them back here." The two looked at him and wanted to ask questions but the look on the Lord of the ThunderCats face was one not to be questioned. Quickly, the two raced off to find their Space Boards.

"Stay with Tygra and see if you can find needles and those plastic baggies. I'll go get Panthro." Lion-O ordered.

"Wait! You can't touch him. If that evil transfers back into you, I may not get you back. Use this." The cheetah handed him a Cat Suit. Lion-O quickly put it on and headed for the door.


	11. Chapter 11

Pumyra and Ben-Gali had the Thunderstrike's engines stressed to the maximum. Both knew that they needed to make it to New Thundera as fast as possible.

"I had hoped to test the engine modifications under different circumstances." Ben-Gali told his wife.

"Will the engines hold until we make it to New Thundera?" Pumyra asked him.

"Jaga willing, they'll hold. Radio Cat's Lair and tell them our ETA." The white tiger said. Pumyra nodded and radioed New Thundera.

"New Thundera, this is the Thunderstrike. Come in, please." The puma called over the radio. No one answered and she began to get nervous.

"I say again, Cat's Lair on New Thundera, this is the Thunderstrike. Come in, please." Pumyra tried again.

"Thunderstrike, this is Tower of Omens on Third Earth." Lynx-O said.

"Lynx-O, I can't reach the others. Have you had any luck?" She asked the older cat.

"No and neither has Snarf over at Cat's Lair." The lynx said. "How much longer will it take until you can land?"

"With the engine modifications that Ben-Gali installed we should be there in about an hour. I just hope it will be fast enough." Pumyra informed him.

"You will be there six hours earlier than originally projected. Tygra is strong and Lion-O and Cheetara are capable of keeping him stable until you get there. Focus on flying and if we are able to contact them we'll let you know; Lynx-O out." The Tower of Omens ended its conversation with the Thunderstrike.

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Cheetara had Tygra stabilized but she didn't know how much longer he could go without Pumyra's help. The ThunderKittens had brought all the tigers from the settlement and they had readily given blood to try to save their brother. Lion-O had Panthro strapped down to the furthest bed and had made sure that his wounds could wait until later.

WilyKat came racing into the room. He was all excited and could barely stand still. Cheetara couldn't move from her spot with blood donors so Lion-O grabbed the young cat and tried to get the information out of him.

"Pumyra and Ben-Gali are going to be here with a half an hour!" WilyKat spat out. Lion-O's patience was about to run out. That couldn't be true. It was a twelve hour journey without boosters on the Thunderstrike's engines. WilyKat could see that convincing the Lord of the ThunderCats wasn't going to be easy when WilyKit raced into the room.

"Fifteen more minutes!" Before Lion-O or Cheetara could say anything both ThunderKittens left the sickbay and raced back to the control room.

"Lion-O, they must be telling the truth. I just hope that Pumyra will be here soon enough." Cheetara reassured him. The Lord of the ThunderCats shook his head and turned back to Panthro. There were so many things to worry about and his head was beginning to hurt. How were they going to remove the evil from Panthro? Would Pumyra be able to save Tygra? What would happen if she couldn't?

"While Pumyra is helping Tygra, one of us should go into the Book of Omens. We have to find out how to get Panthro free." Cheetara said as if she had read his mind.

"We shouldn't leave while she's working." Lion-O argued."I'm sure that she doesn't need three people hanging around while she's working. Ben-Gali can help her while one of us keeps an eye on Panthro." The cheetah replied. It was pointless arguing with her. Lion-O knew she was right.

"I'll enter the Book." He said.


	12. Chapter 12

Pumyra and Ben-Gali landed the Thunderstirke and quickly grabbed the medical supplies. WilyKit and WilyKat met them and they raced to the sickbay. Cheetara's eyes brightened when she saw the others enter the room.

"Thank Jaga, you're here!"

"Yes well we'll have to thank Snarfer too later." Pumyra said. "So how bad is it?"

"Well Lion-O and I have managed to stabilize him and we were also able to get blood donors with the ThunderKittens help. The machines said that there might be some organ damage and we weren't sure what else to do." Cheetara explained. Pumyra pulled the gauze and tape off the tiger. Externally, the bleeding had slowed quite a bit but it was obvious she would have to go in to make sure internally Tygra wasn't bleeding to death.

"Ben-Gali, I need you to get these volunteers out of here. We need to sterilize everything so I can open him up. One cough or sneeze could spread disease and I don't think that he could take getting an infection." The white tiger did as he was told and cleared the volunteers out.

"Cheetara, I need you to help me scrub up. You should scrub up too. When Ben-Gali gets back he can help us. Lion-O, allow me to overstep you for a little while. I need you to go into the cabinet and find some anesthesia and tranquilizers." Pumyra continued to tell everyone what to do. Everyone immediately set to his or her tasks. Cheetara found some scrubs, gloves, masks, and soap. Lion-O returned with a tank of anesthesia, a mask, and some tranquilizers. Ben-Gali walked into the room and declared that the donors were standing by in case they were needed later.

"Excellent. Now let me look at Panthro." The puma said.

"Careful he doesn't touch you." Lion-O warned her. She gave him a strange look but nodded. Explanations would be best left for later.

"Good job, guys. He'll be fine. As I understand it, you guys said there is something possessing Panthro?" Pumyra asked.

"Yes. We haven't figured out how to get rid of it. I was going to enter the Book of Omens and see what it had to say." The Lord of the ThunderCats explained.

"Give him a tranquilizer and keep him quiet. I will need to concentrate on Tygra and I can't have him shouting or anything." Pumyra said. Lion-O did as he was told. Panthro had been strangely quiet but the monitors still read that he was breathing and had a strong heartbeat.

Now everyone's attention turned to Tygra. Cheetara, Pumyra and Ben-Gali scrubbed up and donned their scrubs, masks, and gloves.

"Good luck in the Book of Omens, Lion-O." The three said.

"Thank you and good luck to you. ThunderCats HO!" With that the Lord of the ThunderCats left the others do help Tygra. His job now was to find a way to rid New Thundera of the evil that possessed his friend.

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Lion-O floated through the black space inside the Book of Omens and landed in front of its Guardian. He winced slightly landing a little hard on his wounded leg. It had just been a superficial wound and Cheetara had wrapped it well but it still hurt. His attention turned from his leg to the dragonheads as they had positioned themselves to burn their target if need be.

"Identify yourself!" The Protector of the Book roared.

"I am Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats." Came the reply.

"Lord Lion-O what is it that you seek?" The Guardian's tone was slightly lowered from before.

"How can I free Panthro from the evil that is within him?" Lion-O asked.

"To remove the evil, you must kill the vessel." The Guardian told him.

"Kill the vessel? How can I kill a fellow ThunderCat? And why didn't you tell Tygra this before?" The Lord of the ThunderCats growled.

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME?" The Guardian boomed louder than before. "BE GONE!" With that Lion-O was expelled from the Book of Omens.


	13. Chapter 13

Lion-O left the treasure chamber. He couldn't believe what the Book had told him. What was he going to do?

The Lord of the ThunderCats made his way up to the sickbay. Time practically stood still when he was inside the Book of Omens and he knew that this would allow him sometime to think, as Pumyra and the others wouldn't be out of surgery yet. There had to be another way of saving Panthro; death would only be the final option.

He began to pace back and forth. The Book of Omens wouldn't tell him to kill someone unless it was absolutely necessary. However, there was usually more than one way to solve a problem.

"Lion-O." The Lord of the ThunderCats whipped his head around and saw who was speaking.

"Jaga!"

"Lion-O, there is an important decision you have to make."

"Jaga, I can't…" the lion looked around before continuing. "I can't kill Panthro. There has to be another way." He whispered.

"As Lord of the ThunderCats, there will be tough decisions that you will have to make." Jaga told him.

"I can't kill Panthro. Not only is he a fellow ThunderCat but he is also my friend." Lion-O argued. Jaga took a deep breath.

"Once a ThunderCat, always a ThunderCat, Lion-O; remember that."

"Wait, Jaga!" The Lord of the ThunderCats cried out but it was too late. His mentor was gone. Lion-O leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. He had to come up with another way.

Pumyra worked carefully. Tygra's outer wound had belied a more serious problem. His stomach and large intestine were bleeding. The puma sewed up the holes in his organs and sucked the extra blood out of his internal cavity. Shock was a very likely possibility after losing so much blood.

Right now the tiger's breathing and pulse seemed to be regular. Pumyra now moved to close up her patient.

"Well I hope that's it." She said as she finished stitching up the outer wound.

"That's incredible." Cheetara told her.

"Save it for when he wakes up. I'm afraid that Tygra has still a long way to go." Pumyra said. The puma could see the cheetah smile from under her mask.

"I know Tygra is in good hands." Cheetara patted her on the shoulder. The three then went about cleaning up the room and moving Tygra over. In no time, everything was in place and the three ThunderCats removed their scrubs, gloves, and masks. The outfits were thrown into a special container and would later be thrown into the incinerator.

Pumyra moved out into the hall while Ben-Gali and Cheetara watched Panthro. Lion-O was pacing the hall.

"Anxious?" She asked.

"A little; how's he doing?" The Lord of the ThunderCats asked.

"Well I closed up his stomach and large intestine. Because of yours and Cheetara's quick thinking, I think we've stopped him from going into shock. However, I don't think he'll be able to fight for awhile." Pumyra explained.

"Well the biggest concern right now is for him to get better. We need to call a council meeting. Can we leave Panthro alone?" Lion-O asked.

"I don't want to keep giving him sedatives. Someone should watch him." Pumyra said. Lion-O nodded.

"Maybe we'll just talk out here. The ThunderKittens are in the control room so they won't hear what I have to say." He said. Cheetara emerged from the sickbay.

"Ben-Gali is watching Panthro. What's going on?"

"I'll get him." Pumyra ducked back into the room and returned with her husband. Lion-O proceeded to tell them what the Book of Omens and Jaga had said. They remained silent, unsure what to do.

"I think I have an idea." The Lord of the ThunderCats told them.


	14. Chapter 14

Lion-O and Cheetara entered the control room. WilyKit and WilyKat were practically asleep at the monitors. Today had been a long day.

"Poor dears, it's been a rough day." Cheetara smiled.

"You mean yesterday was a rough day." Lion-O pointed out the time to her. "Come on. They deserve a break." Carefully he scooped WilyKit off her chair.

"I'm watching the screens, I promise." She mumbled. Lion-O chuckled. WilyKat didn't say anything as Cheetara lifted him up.

With the ThunderKittens tucked in, the two older ThunderCats returned to the control room. Lion-O immediately sat down at the controls and continued the scan the surroundings as the sun slowly began to rise over the distant mountains. Cheetara sat down across from him. So many things were running through her head, she didn't know where to start.

"You think I'm crazy don't you?" Lion-O said as if reading her mind.

"To be perfectly honest, yes I do. Remember we talked about thinking things through before reacting?" She reminded him. Lion-O turned his chair toward her. His usual beaming smile had been replaced by a concerned frown. Cheetara reached out for him and cupped his cheek in her left hand.

"Lion-O, you know I love you. I just don't think fighting Panthro to the death is such a great idea." Cheetara told him.

"According to the Book of Omens and Jaga, the only way to save him is to kill him. In order for Panthro to die with honor would be in pitched combat. Trust me, I didn't want to make this decision but as Jaga reminded me as Lord of the ThunderCats, there will be difficult decisions to make. I don't see as how I have a choice." Lion-O explained to her. Cheetara sighed and let go of his cheek.

"I know this wasn't easy but what if, Jaga forbid, you lose? Who would step in to take your place? I don't know what I'd do without you." She asked. The look on his face told her he hadn't thought about that. Lifting herself out of her chair, the cheetah moved over to him. Lion-O took her onto his lap and she rested her head on his shoulder. He put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. The two sat in silence.

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Pumyra and Ben-Gali sat in the sickbay monitoring Tygra and Panthro. Both were exhausted from their travels and wondered how much longer they could take it.

"What do you think of Lion-O's idea?" The puma asked her husband.

"I see what he wants but I'm not sure." Ben-Gali pulled her to him and they kissed.

"I'm nervous about Tygra." She said when they separated.

"Pumyra you are very good at what you do. Tygra is in good hands." The tiger told her. She sighed and put her head on his chest. He gave her a squeeze and the two sat down on the empty bed by Tygra.

"Why do you suppose Panthro has been so quiet?" She whispered to him.

"Didn't you have Lion-O give him a sedative?" Ben-Gali asked, following her lead.

"Yes, but that should've worn off by now. The machines are still registering that his heart rate and breathing are normal. I think I need to check him out. You and I should get some clean scrubs on." Pumyra continued to keep her voice low. Ben-Gali nodded and the two quickly put the medical garb on.

Walking over to Panthro, they made sure the machines were still attached properly. They were indeed attached properly and the panther seemed to be asleep. Something about the situation seemed wrong and Pumyra didn't like it. Carefully, she checked Panthro's wound to see that it was practically healed. Somehow the evil inside him had sped up the healing process. Ben-Gali helped her re-wrap the flesh wound and quickly the two retreated from the patient.


	15. Chapter 15

Pumyra left the sickbay and quickly ran down to the control room. The doors flew open and she ran right up to Lion-O and Cheetara. Quickly, the couple separated and they turned their attention to the puma.

"What's wrong Pumyra?" The Lord of the ThunderCats asked.

"I think the evil inside Panthro is toying with us." She said quickly.

"Why, what's going on?" Cheetara asked. The puma told them about the flesh wound and the fact that Panthro was too quiet. Lion-O paced the floor. He knew that the evil being was strong and it would use any method necessary to destroy the ThunderCats.

"He wants to rule the planet but how would he by himself?" Lion-O thought out loud. No one had the answer to that. Cheetara turned to Pumyra and asked,

"What about Panthro's shoulder wound?"

"He had a shoulder wound?" The puma answered, a little confused. Cheetara shook her head.

"Lion-O, if you go up against this thing in battle, I don't see how you would survive."

"If he had taken over me then, he would be Lord of the ThunderCats and King of New Thundera. With everyone who could stop him out if the way, he would rule the other Thunderians. I see what he wants. If I die, then he can claim that he has been given command of the Sword of Omens." The lion seemingly ignored the cheetah. This revelation made Cheetara and Pumyra nervous.

"So what do we do?" The female ThunderCats asked.

"The Sword of Omens will never submit to the evil being. The Eye of Thundera might be strong enough to destroy it." Lion-O explained.

"The Cat Signal?" Pumyra wondered.

"Exactly. The Cat Signal should bring Panthro's mind to fight what possesses him. Maybe it can also extract it from him." The Lord of the ThunderCats postulated.

"That's an awful lot of guesswork. What would we trap it in anyway, if it should leave Panthro?" Cheetara asked.

"We wouldn't trap it. We'd destroy it." Lion-O set his jaw firmly. "Tomorrow, we'll bring Panthro outside the Lair and we will fight. Pumyra fill Ben-Gali in on the details. I'm going to radio Third Earth and talk to Lynx-O." He finished. The puma nodded and shot out of the control room.

"What makes you think that this will work?" Cheetara inquired.

"Jaga said something to me that got me thinking. 'Once a ThunderCat, always a ThunderCat' he said. Well maybe the Sword of Omens can stir our friend from beneath the evil that has consumed him." Lion-O replied.

"Then why would the Book of Omens and Jaga tell you to kill him? It doesn't make any sense." Cheetara argued.

"I don't know. I'm hoping that this is my way around having to kill him. Should it not work then I will have no other option." Lion-O said. Cheetara slumped into the nearest chair and rubbed her temples. The Lord of the ThunderCats alerted Lynx-O to the situation.

"May the Sword protect you Lion-O and may it give you the strength to do what is necessary." The lynx said at the end of the conversation.

"Thank you Lynx-O. ThunderCats Ho!" Lion-O said.

"Ho!" Lynx-O responded. With that the call ended. The Lord of the ThunderCats slumped into the chair behind him. His leg was beginning to throb.

"You'll have matching scars." Cheetara said off-handedly.

"Won't I be lucky?" Lion-O smiled for the first time in awhile. Cheetara got up and came over to him.

"Is it really bothering you? Should I get Pumyra?" She asked.

"No, the only thing I need is this." He pulled her close and kissed her.

"Well then I'd be happy to comply, My Lord." Cheetara smiled.


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning, Lion-O woke early and rolled out of his bed. He quietly walked into the bathroom and looked at his face in the mirror.

"Well what have you gotten yourself into this time?" He whispered to himself. The Lord of the ThunderCats shook his head and hopped into the shower.

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Pumyra and Ben-Gali woke up to sound of someone moaning. They had spent the night in the sickbay and shared the only remaining bed. Quickly, the puma realized that Tygra was the one making the noise.

"Tygra?" She asked. The tiger looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"How?" Was the only word he got out.

"I'll explain later. How do you feel?" Pumyra asked.

"My stomach hurts a little." Tygra answered as he looked down. "It looks like I have to thank you for saving my life."

"I would thank Lion-O and Cheetara for their quick thinking. If they hadn't helped you it wouldn't have mattered how fast the Thunderstrike could fly, I wouldn't have gotten here in time." The puma told him. Then she walked over the medicine cabinet and pulled a bottle off the shelf.

"Here take these. They'll help with the pain." She said pouring two pills out into her hand and giving them to the tiger. Ben-Gali walked over to them.

"Its good to see you're back with us brother."

"Indeed, its good to be back. What happened while I was out?" Tygra asked.

"The first thing you should know is that Panthro is still possessed but Lion-O is hoping to end that today." Pumyra said. Tygra gave her a look. Ben-Gali lowered his tone of voice and explained the Lord of the ThunderCats theory. The orange tiger made a face. But before anything more could be said the three heard something coming from the other side of the room.

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Lion-O exited the shower and dried himself off. Then he pulled his clean clothes on. Walking out of the bathroom, he noticed that Cheetara was just getting up.

"Morning." He smiled.

"Good morning." The cheetah noticed that he was ready. "Lion-O, I…"

"I promise I'll come back in one piece. Today I will be fighting for all Thunderians, as their leader should. But promise me something?" The lion wondered.

"Anything." Cheetara said.

"If I should fail…" Lion-O couldn't finish the sentence.

"I know you won't. We all have faith in you to destroy this evil.  _I_ have faith in you." Cheetara told him. "Apart the two of us are strong, that is why we are ThunderCats. When you come back and we are together, we will be stronger." Lion-O smiled at this and bent down. Their lips brushed against each other. The moment didn't seem to last long enough for Cheetara as Lion-O grabbed up the Claw Shield and the Sword of Omens.

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Pumyra and Ben-Gali sprung into action. Panthro had ripped through his restraints and was coming after them. It was obvious that he was healed and that he intended to destroy them as he'd promised.

"Get Tygra out of here!" Ben-Gali shouted as he moved in front of Pumyra.

"I'm not leaving you alone with him!" The puma refused.

"Tygra can't fight yet. Get him out!" Ben-Gali ordered. Pumyra looked at him. She knew that he was right.  _I love you_ , she mouthed. Quickly, the puma disconnected the pulse and breathing monitors from Tygra and then helped him up. Throwing his arm over her shoulders, Pumyra walked him out of the room.

Lion-O ran down the hall past her and Tygra and entered the sickbay. He saw Ben-Gali doing his best to keep Panthro back and not get touched.

"Lion-O!" Panthro snarled.

"The fight is between you and me." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"I easily destroy you." Panthro told him.

"I'd like to see you try." Lion-O growled. The challenge issued, Panthro came at the Lord of the ThunderCats.


	17. Chapter 17

"Ho!" Lion-O shouted as a bolt of energy shot forth from the Sword of Omens as it extended to its full length. Ben-Gali ducked and ran from the room to help Pumyra with Tygra as the shot hit its intended target in the shoulder. Lion-O wanted to get his chance to use the Cat Signal.

"Ho!" Another bolt shot from the Sword and hit Panthro's other shoulder. However, this didn't seem to bother the panther as he continued to fight.

"Ha! You think some flesh wounds are going to stop me!" The evil Panthro smirked. Lion-O just thought to himself,  _I have to get him out into the open._  The Lord of the ThunderCats moved quickly and had the Sword of Omens retract to its normal length. Slowly, he backed up towards the sickbay doors and shoved the blade into the Claw Shield. Panthro kicked and punched at the Lord of the ThunderCats and followed him out into the hallway.

The lion was able to block and fight back using the Claw Shield but he didn't know for how long. Panthro was usually very strong but now with the evil inside him he seemed unbeatable. They continued to fight down the hallway toward the main entrance of Cat's Lair. Panthro spun around and his foot landed on the side of Lion-O's face. The Lord of the ThunderCats fell down but not before he grabbed Panthro's right arm. They continued to punch and kick each other as they neared the entrance to Cat's Lair. Both were so busy focusing on the other that they didn't notice how close to the stairs they were.

The Lord of the ThunderCats managed to get some space between them by hitting Panthro in the groin. As the panther backed up, Lion-O backed toward the stairs. The hit had only dazed Panthro for a few moments and he pounced on Lion-O. Before they knew it, the two were tumbling down the stairs at the entrance to Cat's Lair.

Quickly,Lion-O got his strong muscular legs on Panthro's stomach in an effort to separate them. This worked and the panther was flung slightly away form the lion. As fast as he could, Lion-O retrieved the Sword from the Claw Shield and raised it above his head.

"Thunder, thunder, thunder, THUNDERCATS HO!" The Cat's Signal shot into the air from the Eye of Thundera. Panthro had come to a stop and his eye's lit up. The evil struggled to keep the real Panthro down. Lion-O watched as he friend fought internally and quickly raised the Sword up to chest level and pointed the blade at the panther.

"Sword of Omens, give me the power to remove the evil from Panthro!" The Lord of the ThunderCats commanded. A blast from the Sword encircled the panther and pulled a transparent figure out of him. Lion-O charged forward and sank the blade of the Sword of Omens into it.

A loud, high pitched noise arose from the shadowy figure followed by a loud roar from Panthro. Suddenly, a bright light came from the wounded figure and engulfed the two ThunderCats. Lion-O shielded his eyes as the light became incredibly intense and then he was knocked back by a large force. The shadowy figure erupted into thousands of pieces.

Lion-O blinked and rubbed his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, the Lord of the ThunderCats couldn't see. He then heard shouts from the others.

"Lion-O! Are you all right?" He immediately recognized Cheetara's voice.

"I can't see. I can't see!" His voice grew hysterical.

"It'll be all right. Pumyra can help you." Cheetara tried to comfort him then she heard the puma shout.

"I don't have a pulse!" Pumyra and Ben-Gali had gone to see if Panthro was ok. Quickly, the puma had her husband began chest compressions and she tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the panther.


	18. Chapter 18

Ben-Gali continued to compress Panthro's chest but Pumyra was getting nothing. The panther lay motionless.

"Cheetara! I need you to…" the puma didn't get the words out of her mouth before the cheetah was gone. Ben-Gali stopped compressing and began to use his fist on Panthro's chest. Within seconds, Cheetara was back carrying a defibrillator.

"Ben-Gali stop! Charge the paddles." Pumyra said. Quickly, she and her husband switched places.

"200! Clear!" Pumyra instructed as she placed the paddles on Panthro's chest. The panther's body jumped but there still wasn't a pulse.

"400! Clear!" Pumyra shouted again. This time Panthro's eyes open and he gasped for breath.

"Thank Jaga!" Cheetara said excitedly.

"Can you hear me? What's your name?" Pumyra asked hoping that the panther hadn't sustained any brain damage.

"I am Panthro, Chief Engineer of the ThunderCats." Came the reply. Pumyra smiled.

"It's good to have you back." She said. Ben-Gali came over and picked the puma up and swung her around.

"You did it!"

"With your help, I couldn't have done it without you." She kissed him. They separated and went about helping Panthro sit up.

"I think the best thing is to get him inside. He needs rest so he can recover properly. Lion-O and Ben-Gali can carry him." Pumyra said.

"That's going to be easier said than done, I'm afraid." Lion-O spoke for the first time. "I can't see."

"Let's get Panthro and Lion-O inside. Cheetara, run get the stretcher." The cheetah obeyed Pumyra and ran inside. Within seconds she was back. Carefully, Panthro was moved to the stretcher.

"All right. Now I'll hold this handle and you hold that handle." Pumyra pointed to the cheetah. Ben-Gali grabbed the other end and the three moved the panther inside.

Lion-O sat on the steps waiting for them to return. He blinked rapidly but the world was still black to him. How could he continue to be Lord of the ThunderCats if he was blind? Maybe the Sword of Omens could help him that was if he could find it. Lion-O had lost control of the Sword during the destruction of the evil being.

"Lion-O, I'm going to try something. Let me know if you can see it." The disembodied voice was Pumyra's. He nodded. The puma took out a flashlight and shone it into the Lord of the ThunderCats' eyes. His pupils didn't react.

"Anything?" She asked.

"No. What are we going to do?" Lion-O sounded nervous, it wasn't something the others were used to. Pumyra thought for a few minutes.

"Well, the next step is to run a scan of your eyes. It could just be temporary blindness due to the intensity of the light. Let's get you inside." She explained. Ben-Gali helped him to his feet.

"I'll take him." Cheetara volunteered. The white tiger smiled and let her take Lion-O's arm. At her touch, Lion-O turned his head.

"Come on. I'll help you." She told him. He smiled and the two walked slowly up the stairs toward the entrance to Cat's Lair. Pumyra and Ben-Gali went ahead to setup the equipment.

"I think I could get used to this." Lion-O joked.

"Me helping you out?" Cheetara smiled.

"Well lets face it when I'm older and arthritis has set into my knees, I suppose you'll have no choice." The lion continued to joke.

"Oh really? What if I don't want to?" Cheetara teased.

"I'll make an offer you can't refuse." Lion-O smiled. The cheetah laughed. They spent the rest of the walk to the sickbay, joking and teasing each other.


	19. Chapter 19

Pumyra sat back from the sensors. According to the medical equipment, Lion-O's blindness was categorized as temporary. This was good but just how temporary was hard to tell. The puma turned to look at her anxious friends.

"Well I have some good news and some bad news." She said.

"What's the good news?" Lion-O asked.

"The good news is that the equipment has decided that you are only temporarily blind." Pumyra told them.

"So what's the bad news?" Cheetara inquired.

"I have no way of telling how temporary it will be. I mean he could go to bed tonight and tomorrow it could be better or it may take longer for his sight to return." The puma sighed. No one said anything for the next few minutes.

"What if we tried the Sword of Omens? Maybe it could bring back Lion-O's sight." Ben-Gali suggested.

"That's all well and good if I had the Sword. Lion-O said. Everyone turned and looked at him.

"What do you mean  _if_  you had the Sword?" Cheetara asked.

"I lost it after defeating the evil being." Came the lion's answer. Without saying a word, Cheetara raced from the room and Ben-Gali followed her.

"Well while they're looking for it, I think the best thing for you to do is to try and get some rest. I'm going to call Lynx-O and update him on the situation." Pumyra said. The Lord of the ThunderCats nodded and carefully stood up. Helping him over to the last empty bed, Pumyra had him lay down.

"I'll be back later to check on everybody." She promised.

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Cheetara and Ben-Gali were outside searching for the Sword of Omens when the ThunderKittens came out of Cat's Lair.

"Pumyra said you guys needed help with something." WilyKit said.

"Good. You guys search using your Space Boards." The cheetah said.

"What are we looking for?" WilyKat asked.

"The Sword of Omens." Ben-Gali told them. Quickly, the ThunderKittens ran to get their Space Boards and aid in the search.

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Pumyra sat in front of the video screen talking to Lynx-O. From the sound of her voice, he could tell that she was nearing the end of her rope.

"You sound like you should take a break." The lynx suggested.

"I can't. I have three patients in the medical quarters and the Sword of Omens is missing. I may have been able to save Tygra and Panthro but Lion-O…" she trailed off.

"You've done all you can do. Now it is time for Lion-O's body to do the rest." Lynx-O reminded her.

"Do you think I should send him back to Third Earth? I mean maybe you can help him." Pumyra wondered.

"Well you do have the Thunderstrike and I have no interstellar vehicle." The lynx said.

"All right as soon as we find the Sword, I'll tell everyone the plan. Thanks Lynx-O." Pumyra told him.

"No problem, Third Earth out." He answered and ended the transmission. Pumyra turned off the communication link. She then headed outside to see how the search was coming.


	20. Chapter 20

"I found it!" Cheetara shouted lifting the Sword of Omens into the air. The blade sparkled in the setting sun. She ran from the spot on the ground where she had found it embedded in the ground up the stairs of Cat's Lair. As fast as they could the others joined her. "We have to have Lion-O try it and see if it works." Ben-Gali said. "Listen I talked to Lynx-O and he said that if the Sword of Omens doesn't work that Lion-O should go back to Third Earth." Pumyra told them.

"Why?" WilyKit asked.

"Lynx-O wants to help Lion-O. That and he has no interstellar vehicle to come here anyway." The puma said.

"I forgot about the Thunderstrike." Cheetara put her hand on her forehead. "Lets get Lion-O out here first and try the Sword." The others agreed and Ben-Gali went inside for the Lord of the ThunderCats.

Soon the tiger returned with Lion-O. Cheetara walked over to the lion, opened his right hand, and placed the Sword of Omens in it. A smile crossed Lion-O's face as he raised the Sword above his head.

"Thunder, thunder, thunder, THUNDERCATS HO!" He shouted. The other ThunderCats' eyes and insignias lit up. Lion-O could feel the Sword's power course through his body. Slowly, the blackness that shrouded his eyes began to lift. Soon the Lord of the ThunderCats could make out shapes and colors. Finally, Lion-O could see his friends.

"Did it work?" Cheetara asked. Without saying anything the lion lowered the Sword and walked a few steps over to her. Pulling her close, Lion-O pressed his lips against hers. When the two separated, he asked,

"Does that answer your question?"

"Ewww! Nasty!" WilyKit and WilyKat teased.

"It certainly does." Cheetara smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. They were about to kiss again when Panthro walked out the door.

"What happened?" He asked.

"You should be in bed." Pumyra scolded.

"Is there any trouble?" The panther inquired, ignoring the puma. Lion-O smiled and walked over to his friend.

"No trouble, old friend. I just used the Sword to bring my eyesight back."

"Well that is excellent news! We should celebrate." Panthro said.

"We will but after you've had some time to rest. I don't want to get on Pumyra's bad side." Lion-O joked. The two looked over at the puma, who gave them a ugly look.

"I see what you mean." Panthro smiled. "I told Tygra that I'd let him know what was going on, so I better go." Lion-O nodded and put the Sword of Omens back into the Claw Shield on his hip.

"Thank you for finding the Sword. I suppose we should follow Panthro's lead." He said as the sun finished setting behind them. Everyone followed the Lord of the ThunderCats in except for WilyKit and WilyKat who had to put their Space Boards away.

Pumyra and Ben-Gali went into the sickbay to make sure Tygra and Panthro were comfortable while Lion-O and Cheetara headed for the control room. The cheetah explained to him the whole predicament about having both interstellar vehicles.

"Third Earth this is New Thundera, come in please." Lion-O said. The video screen lit up and Lynx-O appeared on it.

"This is Lynx-O. Is that Lion-O I'm speaking to?" He asked.

"Yes and Cheetara. Good news, my friend. I can see." The lion told him.

"That is great news!" Lynx-O exclaimed.

"Well I was told that you offered to help me if the Sword didn't work and I wanted to thank you." Lion-O said.

"Think nothing of it. I'm just glad that you are better. About the Thunderstrike…" the lynx let the last sentence just hang there.

"Not to worry. I'll be prepping it tomorrow morning and hopefully on Third Earth by early evening since Snarfer made the improvements on it. Pumyra and Ben-Gali will have to stay to make sure that Tygra and Panthro are recovering properly." Lion-O answered.

"Good. Then I will let you get some sleep and look forward to having you here tomorrow. Third Earth out." The transmission ended and Lion-O shut the screen off.


	21. Epilogue

The next day, Lion-O was loading supplies into the Thunderstrike. It was still early in the morning and he wanted to be able to take it easy on the vehicle and its newly added engine modifications. The lion didn't hear Cheetara come into the room.

"Imagine my surprise when I roll over in bed to find you not in it." The cheetah said. Lion-O whipped around, a little startled.

"Well good morning to you." He smiled.

"Are you ok?" She asked concerned.

"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind." Lion-O answered.

"You know you can talk to me. Whatever it is." Cheetara said moving closer to him. The Lord of the ThunderCats let out a sigh.

"I've been thinking about the past few months and everything that has been going on. I guess I just thought with Mumm-Ra, the Mutants, and the Lunatacs gone that life wouldn't be so difficult. I mean Tygra creates Bob, who tries to kill me. Then we finally find other Thunderians and they bring an evil with them that tries to kill me too. Instead it ends up seriously wounding Tygra, almost succeeds in destroying Panthro, and temporarily blinds me." Cheetara nodded thoughtfully and said,

"Evil will always exist, Lion-O. It may not look the same every time but it will be there when you least expect it. That is why we are ThunderCats. We are here to protect the good peoples of not only Third Earth but also New Thundera. Unfortunately, you didn't have the chance to be able to make mistakes and learn from them. In the early days, we couldn't afford to make mistakes and let the Mutants, Mumm-Ra, or the Lunatacs win. But we worked as a team and we defeated them. You were never really on your own. We wanted you to get your chance as Lord of the ThunderCats and I'm sure that everyone agrees that you have done a great job." She wrapped her arms around him and put her head against his massive chest. He in turn put his arms around her and held the cheetah close.

"I never apologized for calling you that horrible thing. I'm sorry. I tried to get the evil being to shut up but I couldn't. I'm also sorry about shooting you in the arm." Lion-O said. Cheetara moved her head from his chest and looked up at him.

"It wasn't you. I'm sorry for kicking and punching you. And that whole incident with the Sword…" she trailed off, turning her eyes away from the lion.

"That wasn't you either except for the Sword thing." Lion-O answered. An awkward silence followed and neither one looked at each other.

"Well I guess I should get going." The Lord of the ThunderCats said a few minutes later.

"You're not going alone. I'm coming too." Cheetara told him.

"You don't have to, I'm just going for a little while." He titled his head and kissed the top of hers.

"More like a few months until Tygra and Panthro are ready for battle and Pumyra and Ben-Gali can handle themselves here. I already asked them if I could go with you and they had no complaints. Besides I'm sure Lynx-O, Snarf, and Snarfer wouldn't mind having the extra company." The cheetah said

"Well if you insist." Lion-O smiled.

"Good cause I already put my things in the Thunderstrike." She smiled back. A mischievous look crossed her face and the two had a good laugh.

**The End**


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